With the plethora of pristine lakes, picturesque valleys and majestic mountains, the natural beauty of the Southern Tier counties—Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany—has always enticed visitors. But starting around the turn of the 20th century, with the rapid expansion of passenger rail service and the advent of easy connections to the cities of Jamestown, Salamanca and Olean from the major cities of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, wealthy travelers flocked to the area. They sought rest, relaxation and enjoyment of the great outdoors—amenities offered through the carefully manicured grounds surrounding the grand hotels and summer camps dotting the region, such as the Lakewood near Jamestown. 

However, a new attraction—the amusement park—soon took the place of hotels and camps. Spurred by the rise of the automobile and the construction of reliable highways, the scope and number of parks grew, capturing a whole new audience. Driven first by the booming economy of the Roaring Twenties, then later by the expanding post-WWII economy, local entrepreneurs saw opportunity. Working-class, weekend getaway visitors, with new-found disposable income, and “well-heeled,” all-summer visitors alike would be captivated by the natural beauty surrounding Southern Tier amusement parks.  And they would be thrilled and entertained by the rides and attractions that would become their trademarks. 

Between 1894 and 1972, five notable, amusement-styled parks opened and operated in the Southern Tier: two in Chautauqua County, two in Cattaraugus County and one in Allegany County, though there were many lesser parks. 

Three of these share a common thread, being established as traditional parks with bandstands, walkways, garden-like settings and benches for enjoying music and the quiet of nature on the shore of a lake. All three eventually included water activities, like boating and swimming. Initially catering to wealthy visitors who had the means to stay in the lake setting for an extended summer period, each would later expand to include amusement rides and attractions. 

Two were solely based on amusement rides and the noise and excitement of a fair or expo, complete with shows, concessions, souvenir shops, bright lights and festive live music, plus the bonus of nature’s breathtaking scenery.

Today, only one remains in operation.

The Chautauqua Institution’s evolution from a Sunday school teachers’ camp to an assembly-style cultural and entertainment experience opened the eyes of entrepreneurs who saw the long-term potential of the 15-mile lake as a tourist destination.

Those who could afford a “Chautauqua” came by train, disembarking at the railroad hub of Jamestown, then boarding a steamship for the journey up the lake to the grounds. But larger and larger crowds quickly outpaced the capacity of the 156-room Athenaeum Hotel built on the grounds in 1881, resulting in many returning to Jamestown after their day experience. The potential of this phenomenon was quickly realized, and plans were made to complete venues to entertain those who returned and who might desire to stay on the lake longer if offered a reason to do so. A notable example was Hotel de Celoron, which offered 36 luxury rooms to just this type of traveler.

The concept of a “picnic grove,” or the less popularly named “pleasure garden,” captured the imagination of creative and enterprising developers.  The first of two such parks on Chautauqua Lake was Celoron Park, which opened in 1894 under the ownership of the Celoron Amusement Company and its president, Almet N. Broadhead. Located in the Village of Celoron on the south bank of the lake, the park was first reached by steamship from Jamestown. A dock was constructed and patrons used a trolley to shuttle back and forth to the steamship, due to the length of the pier. Soon after, the company purchased a double-decker streetcar, and track was laid between Celoron Park and Jamestown to accommodate the trolley.

Recognizing the park’s popularity, new attractions were added, including a bathhouse with three separate toboggan slides, which provided a gripping ride that plunged bathers into the lake. In 1896, the signature, 115-foot-high Phoenix Wheel opened. It was built to carry up to 15 passengers in each of the 14 cars around the “Great Wheel.” At night, 350 colored lights turned the structure into a beacon that could be seen in Jamestown and Bemus Point.

In addition, patrons could take an exciting ride on the Circle Swing, which, after it was moved to a small man-made island just offshore, propelled riders out and over the water in wicker-canopied gondolas. In 1903, the first figure-eight roller coaster opened. In 1924, it was joined by the Greyhound, a giant roller coaster. For tiny visitors, the Tom Thumb Railroad circling the park offered enough of a thrill, while a carousel and band shell provided more sedate entertainment.

Complete with a midway and a boardwalk, the park attracted thousands of visitors in its heyday and offered more than 22 rides. However, a series of ownership changes and natural disasters, including the 1949 lightning strike that disabled the Phoenix Wheel and the 1959 tornado that destroyed the Greyhound, sealed Celeron Park’s fate. By 1962, the park closed for good.

Midway Park opened in 1898 on a 17-acre plot of land, with 500 feet of lakefront and beach halfway between Maple Springs and Whiteside, north of Bemus Point and across the lake from the Chautauqua Institution. Leased by the Jamestown & Lake Erie Railway, the name originated four years earlier when a steamboat dock was built between the two points. Though not precisely halfway, the name stuck. 

Initially, the park had a dance pavilion, tennis courts and baseball fields. Later, a dance hall was constructed. Row-boat rentals, croquet and bathing were additional options. The rail line was the primary transportation mode, but steamboat lines soon began to operate on the lake. The expanding demand prompted the railroad to buy up the competition and purchase additional property two miles further east on the lake, called Long Point, to provide picnic grounds.

Midway proved the more popular choice, and the railroad soon abandoned Long Point to focus on developing an amusement center at Midway. In 1913, the Broadhead family of Jamestown purchased the railroad and steamship company, and they ran an electrified trolley from Jamestown, boasting that the journey now took “only 28 minutes” compared to the almost two-hour steamship journey previously required. 

Riding the success of the earlier Celeron Park, the Broadheads soon built water slides and amusement rides, including a Tilt-a-Whirl and a giant roller coaster called the “Jack Rabbit.” The park's popularity grew through the 1920s and survived the Great Depression and ownership changes. In the 1950s, the park was purchased by brothers Martin (“Red”) and Francis Walsh, who immediately saw the potential of the automobile for bringing “working class” customers to the park. A complete kiddy land was purchased from the Allan Herschell Company of North Tonawanda, which included amusement rides with names like “Sky Fighter” and “Roadway Wet Boat,” a helicopter ride and a “Little Dipper” roller coaster. Most popular were the “Dodgem” (bumper) car racetrack, a Herschell carousel and a “Chair Plane” ride. These attractions established the park as a destination for day-trip fun seekers and family entertainment.

In 2006, after the summer season concluded, the Walsh family transferred the park to the New York State Parks system, under whose auspices it operates today. Midway Park is recognized as the fifth-oldest trolley park in the United States.

About 70 miles east of Chautauqua, another lake offered a prime summer vacation spot for visitors to enjoy clean air, solitude and a rural setting far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Allegany County’s Cuba Lake, located just north of the Village of Cuba, was an artificial lake created in 1856 to supply water to the newly completed Genesee Valley Canal connecting Rochester with Olean. Needing a readily accessible water supply for the canal, a reservoir was planned for the canal’s highest point, some 1660 feet above sea level, just north of the village. A 60-foot high, 2,000-foot-long earthen dam at one end, with a spillway at the other point of the “Y” shape of the lake, captured the waters of Oil Creek and several other smaller creeks, creating a lake of 1,600 acres, measuring seven miles around, and, at its widest point, half a mile across.

By 1878, however, railroads had supplanted canals, and the need for the lake—the largest artificially created lake in New York State at the time—was questioned. Initial plans called for it to be drained. However, it survived due to its value as a perpetual water source and its recreational potential.

At first, only a stagecoach stop with a popular tavern attracted tourists to the lake, which remained a prime fishing spot. But one enterprising man saw a more significant potential. 

Fenton Olive opened Olivecrest Park on Cuba Lake in 1915, hoping to “turn it into a first-class pleasure resort.” From its beginnings as a pavilion and lakeside picnic ground and park, “Bog’s” (Fenton’s nickname) Olivecrest Cuba Lake Pavilion served as the primary entertainment venue for the Village of Cuba and the Cuba Lake community, hosting summer dances, parties and family gatherings.

Soon, the park expanded, adding swimming, picnicking, canoe rentals, speed boats, a soda fountain, a “Coney Island” hotdog stand and baseball diamonds to the list of attractions. Further additions came in the form of the Stadel Brothers Amusement Company’s chair plane ride (1931) and a carousel in 1933; the pavilion became an amusement park. This carousel, now on display at the New York State Museum in Albany, was manufactured by the Herschell-Spillman Carousel Factory in North Tonawanda, Niagara County between 1912 and 1916. It had previously been used by the Stadel company as a traveling amusement ride, touring the Southern Tier. It replaced a smaller merry-go-round that Olive had purchased a few years earlier.

Visitors of means began arriving and soon were looking for summer-long lodgings. Olive quickly provided these facilities in one of the many cottages he built on the property. Fenton passed away in 1944, 29 years after opening the park on a farm's acreage on the lake's north shore. His family sold the park in 1948 and several ownership changes occurred thereafter. By 1972, however, the park had closed and, in 1975, New York State purchased the carousel and moved it to Albany, preserving the legacy of Olivecrest Park. Fenton Olive’s dream of a “first-class pleasure resort” is forever gone, but Cuba Lake survives. Its shoreline is now ringed with summer and year-long residences. 

Unlike the parks in Chautauqua and Allegany counties, Cattaraugus’ parks were indeed products of the automobile age and were designed solely as amusement parks. Accessible only by car, perched high above the Allegheny River Valley in Cattaraugus’ two major cities, Salamanca and Olean, both parks appeared in the mid-1960s and were built not to be places of peaceful relaxation but rather to excite and awe attendees. 

In 1964, Olean entrepreneur Montgomery Shoemaker opened the Cloud 9 resort to the public near the summit of Mt. Hermanns above Olean.  The 2260-foot summit—named for Swiss singer Josef Hermanns, who purchased 94 acres in 1864 for the stately sum of $3500—presented a perfect location to fulfill Shoemaker’s dream to build a destination resort in the Southern Tier. In 1963, he purchased 400 acres (and later, an additional 100 acres) on the mountain's north slope, facing the city below. He rapidly developed plans and began constructing camping areas, amusement rides, entertainment options and a dining experience built on several ascending levels or tiers.

During the grand opening on Memorial Day 1964, visitors were treated to a heart-shaped wading pool, a full-sized swimming pool, a playground, picnic grove, pavilions and hiking trails, plus other rides and attractions. One of the most unique was a 2-mile-long miniature train ride that invited riders to recall the pioneering days of old. Highlighted features included panoramic mountaintop views, woodlands, wildlife areas and a stop at “Gusher City,” a realistic replica of an oil boom town, complete with a working oil rig, post office, oil museum and a general store. The parking area on the upper tier featured a scenic vista overlooking the valley below, with spectacular views of the Village of Allegany, the St. Bonaventure campus and the city.

Billed as the “Highest Park in the East,” Cloud 9’s memorable rides and attractions included two Ferris wheels, a merry-go-round, a restaurant serving the signature “Cloudburger” and several concession stands.

However, the park struggled from the onset, due to challenges from two sources that ultimately forced its closing. The first challenge stemmed from complaints from the people living at the mountain's base. Concerned with fears of excessive traffic and parking problems created by a busy amusement park perched above them, the quiet, residential neighborhood of Seneca Heights mounted a protest against the park. The city government, for its part, was divided. Concerned about expanding water and sewer lines and improving road access to the property, one faction stalled Shoemaker's requests for improvements. This opposition faction was deaf to the Shoemaker Cloud 9 Development Company’s reminder that the park, lying within the city limits, would only need a change in zoning for the development to continue. In the face of this opposition, however, another faction of the city council, combined with continued support from Cattaraugus County and the state, kept Shoemaker’s dream alive. 

  In its nearly seven-year history, from inception to closing, the park brought thousands of tourists to Olean. In its first season, Shoemaker reported that 37,000 people visited the park. In a newspaper interview, he estimated as many as 75,000 visitors would journey to the amusement park in the 1965 season, with continued growth in the years ahead. However, the 75,000 figure was never reached. Several lengthy, weather-related delays pushed the planned 1965 Memorial Day opening deep into June. Cost overruns caused by massive storm damage, along with continued resistance from the city and from people living below the park prevented his planned expansion. Attendance stagnated from 1966 to 1969, despite extensive marketing and promotion.

By the end of the 1970 season, Shoemaker declared bankruptcy. Assets were sold and vandals wreaked havoc with the structures. By 1971, all that remained were the fond recollections of the park and memories of the Cloud 9 sign illuminating Mt. Hermanns, high over the city and the Allegheny River Valley below. 

Meanwhile, a few miles to the northwest, Ed Fenton Jr.’s dream of owning a “Wild West” theme park came true in 1966, when he opened Fentier Village astride South Mountain above Salamanca. Fenton began to plan his dream of a large-scale amusement park at the top of the peak in 1964. His original property purchase was thwarted when it was later purchased by the state as part of Allegheny State Park. But his second attempt to build his dream park succeeded.

Built on three levels on what is now known as Bear Mountain, the Salamanca realtor and insurance agent purchased a lot on Parkway Drive across from Salamanca Hospital. The panoramic view of Salamanca and the Allegheny River below was deemed an ideal venue for entertainment, attractions and rides. In addition, supporters concluded that Allegheny State Park, on the development’s west side, would further expand the tourist potential of Fenton’s theme park. 

“Fentier Village,” Fenton’s vision and a $500,000 investment, opened in June 1966. Attractions along the main avenue included a general store, ice cream parlor, Western-style apparel shop, an antique emporium, movie house, pool hall, a stagecoach ride and a miniature train ride around the mountainside. 

But Fenton’s dream extended beyond a vision for a Western-themed town; he drew from Salamanca’s deep musical heritage. (Salamanca was the birthplace of Ray Evans, writer of “Silver Bells,” and had a reputation as a regular stop for traveling vaudeville shows in the early days of the city when it was a thriving railroad center.) An accomplished trombone player in his own right, Fenton played, formed bands and promoted musical concerts in and around the Southern Tier for years.

Thus, music would play a central role in the entertainment at Fentier Village. A replicated dance hall review, with “can-can” dancers and a Wurlitzer Military Band Organ playing outside, filled the park with classic, vaudeville-type musical numbers daily, echoing into the city below. One of the featured bands, “The Old Timers,” played in the Edward John Memorial bandstand twice daily. Perhaps the most talked about performances was the daily “shoot-out” between the sheriff and “Black Bart.” Other “Western-themed” shows would be staged at various locations throughout the park.

Over the park's brief, four-year lifespan, Fenton brought in several nationally known acts to perform in his theater-in-the-round at the top of the mountain, including Frank Sinatra Jr. Others included regional performers like the Kiwanis Minstrel Band and the Ramblin’ Lou band, along with many local high school bands and scores of local musical acts. 

But the park faced obstacles similar to Shoemaker’s Cloud 9, 18 miles east in Olean. The proposed placement of the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86) cut the inclined cable-car line (the only access to the park) and obliterated the parking lot, preventing visitors’ easy access to the park. The city would not improve sewer lines nor help Fenton develop a new access road by extending Parkway Drive to the top of the mountain. 

Fenton initially estimated an attendance figure of 100,000, which was reached in the first season. The park continued to operate, with record attendance, until construction began on the expressway. With direct access denied, visitors were forced to navigate a narrow, winding dirt road up the mountain to another parking area Fenton built on the top tier, resulting in a significant drop in attendance by the end of the 1969 season. The enormous losses incurred that year prevented Fenton from reopening in 1970. The props, signage and equipment were eventually auctioned off. Much is now housed in the Salamanca Area Historical Society.

Today, only one of these amusement parks remains in operation—Midway Park on Lake Chautauqua. In the 21st century, amusement can be found in many ways other than at an amusement park, and the number of amusement park choices in Western New York and southern Ontario, as well as across the United States, has been significantly reduced.

But the memories of riding a giant roller coaster, of a chair swing shooting out over the lake, of a carousel going round and round to playful tunes, or the excitement of a live, Western-style “shoot-out,” will never be lost on those who were lucky enough to “be there.” 

You hear it when they describe the thrills they felt. You see it as their eyes sparkle at the memories of the sights and sounds they experienced while visiting these parks.

A frequent contributor to Western New York Heritage, Stephen L. Cocca is a retired middle school social studies teacher who lives in Olean with his wife Vicki.